Batf3-Dependent Dendritic Cells in the Renal Lymph Node Induce Tolerance against Circulating Antigens

Although the spleen is a major site where immune tolerance to circulating innocuous antigens occurs, the kidney also contributes. Circulating antigens smaller than albumin are constitutively filtered and concentrated in the kidney and reach the renal lymph node by lymphatic drainage, where resident dendritic cells (DCs) capture them and induce tolerance of specific cytotoxic T cells through unknown mechanisms. Here, we found that the coinhibitory cell surface receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1) on cytotoxic T cells mediates to their tolerance. Renal lymph node DCs of the CD8(+) XCR1(+) subset, which depend on the transcription factor Batf3, expressed the PD-1 cognate ligand PD-L1. Batf3-dependent DCs in the renal lymph node presented antigen that had been concentrated in the kidney and used PD-L1 to induce apoptosis of cytotoxic T cells. In contrast, T cell tolerance in the spleen was independent of PD-1, PD-L1, and Batf3. In summary, these results clarify how the kidney/renal lymph node system tolerizes the immune system against circulating innocuous antigens

PD-L1 blockade differentially impacts regulatory T cells from HIV-infected individuals depending on plasma viremia

Blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway has emerged as a potential therapy to restore impaired immune responses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. Most reports have studied the impact of the PD-L1 blockade on effector cells and neglected possible effects on regulatory T cells (Treg cells), which play an essential role in balancing immunopathology and antiviral effector responses. The aim of this study was to define the consequences of ex vivo PD-L1 blockade on Treg cells from HIV-infected individuals. We observed that HIV infection led to an increase in PD-1+ and PD-L1+ Treg cells. This upregulation correlated with disease progression and decreased under antiretroviral treatment. Treg cells from viremic individuals had a particularly high PD-1 expression and impaired proliferative capacity in comparison with Treg cells from individuals under antiretroviral treatment. PD-L1 blockade restored the proliferative capacity of Treg cells from viremic individuals but had no effect on its suppressive capacity. Moreover, it increased the viral production in cell cultures from viremic individuals. This increase in viral production correlated with an increase in Treg cell percentage and a reduction in the CD4/Treg and CD8/Treg cell ratios. In contrast to the effect of the PD-L1 blockade on Treg cells from viremic individuals, we did not observe a significant effect on the proliferative capacity of Treg cells from individuals in whom viremia was controlled (either spontaneously or by antiretroviral treatment). However, PD-L1 blockade resulted in an increased proliferative capacity of HIV-specific-CD8 T cells in all subjects. Taken together, our findings suggest that manipulating PD-L1 in vivo can be expected to influence the net gain of effector function depending on the subject's plasma viremia

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells control B cell accumulation in the central nervous system during autoimmunity

Polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) have been characterized in the context of malignancies. Here we show that PMN-MDSCs can restrain B cell accumulation during central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity. Ly6G+ cells were recruited to the CNS during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), interacted with B cells that produced the cytokines GM-CSF and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and acquired properties of PMN-MDSCs in the CNS in a manner dependent on the signal transducer STAT3. Depletion of Ly6G+ cells or dysfunction of Ly6G+ cells through conditional ablation of STAT3 led to the selective accumulation of GM-CSF-producing B cells in the CNS compartment, which in turn promoted an activated microglial phenotype and lack of recovery from EAE. The frequency of CD138+ B cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of human subjects with multiple sclerosis was negatively correlated with the frequency of PMN-MDSCs in the CSF. Thus PMN-MDSCs might selectively control the accumulation and cytokine secretion of B cells in the inflamed CNS

Re-educating immunity in respiratory allergies: the potential for hematopoietic stem cell-mediated gene therapy

Respiratory allergies represent a significant disease burden worldwide affecting up to 300 million people globally. Medication and avoidance of known triggers do not address the underlying pathology. Traditional immunotherapies for allergy aim to reinstate immune homeostasis but require years of treatment and have poor long-term efficacy. Novel approaches, such as gene-engineered hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, induce profound antigen-specific tolerance in autoimmunity. Recent evidence shows this approach may also have therapeutic utility for allergy. Here, we review the mechanisms of antigen-specific tolerance and the potential of stem cell-mediated gene therapy to induce tolerance in allergic respiratory diseases